Mine case and instrument mounting system



Aug. 2, 1960 2,947,249

MINE CASE AND INSTRUMENT MOUNTING SYSTEM 7 I C. C. VOGT ET Filed Feb. 6. 1953 FIG.2.

s R m m W0 m V O S E L R A H C v HOWARD w. SEMON v $44 M BY 'R-W.H-oh/c ATTORNEYS trite MINE CASE AND INSTRUMENT MOUNTING SYSTEM Charles C. Vogt, Bethesda, and Howard W. Semon, Silver Spring, Md., assignors to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the, Navy The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

This invention relates to an instrument mounting rack and more particularly to a rack which is adapted to house the various electrical components which are employed in the firing circuit of a mine.

It is apparent that there are various components in a mine which are utilized in firing and sterilizing the mine. These components include magnetic, pressure, and acoustic firing mechanisms, arming and sterilizing switches, actuation counters and batteries. Heretofore, these various components have been individually assembled within the mine casing and it has frequently been necessary to alter the interior design of the mine casing itself when varying the combination of components used. This system has certain disadvantages in that the mine firing system lacks flexibility so that it is difficult to vary the actuating components of the mine and further in that the mine is difiicult to assemble and to test. For these reasons it has been found desirable to provide a rack which will house all the components necessary for actuating the mine and to construct these components of uniform size and shape so that they may be readily substituted to build up diiferent combinations of actuating mechanisms in the mine.

This has been accomplished by the device herein disassembling the electrical components of a mine firing system which is readily adapted for any operational requirement and which can be easily assembled and tested. An object of this invention is to provide a rack for mounting the various electrical components of a mine. A further object of this invention is to provide a rack for housing the electrical components of a mine in which i the components may be assembled in any desired combination without the necessity for employing special mounting means for the various components.

An additional object of this invention is to provide a housing for the components of a mine firing circuit which is independent of the mine casing whereby the electrical circuit may be easily tested before assembling the housing within the mine casing.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

States Patent to Fig. 1 there is shown at 1- a'ring-shaped member which 7 serves as an end support for the rack herein described. This ring-shaped member has secured thereto as by welding four equidistantly spaced rods-2 which extend normal to the plane of the ring and which have secured to the outer ends thereof an end plate 3." This endplate has inturned flanges as shown to give rigidity to the structure. Extending between two of the rods 2 and suitably Welded thereto is a plate 4 which serves as a support for the electrical components. There is additionally provided a supporting plate 6 which is suitably welded to the plate 4 at one edge thereof and at the other edge to one of the rods 2. Mounted on plates 4 and 6 as by bolts 7 are components '8 and 9 and it can be seen that these components may be mounted on both sides of plate 4 as well as above and below plate 6. The components have jacks 11 and 12 to provide means for connecting the circuit elements. Each component is individually secured to plates 4 and 6 so that when the mine is subjected to a sudden shock the components will not be damaged.

The cross section of the components are all of uniform shape and size withthe exception of the large batteries which are located on the side of plate 4 opposite to that side to which plate 6 is secured. The components mounted on plate 4 both above and below plate 6 include pressure, acoustic and/ or magnetic actuating means or any combination of these elements. These components may be made of any desired length but preferably are multiples of one basic length. In addition there may be provided such components as arming .and sterilizing switches, ship actuation counters, additional batteries, or a junction box for test purposes. It can be seen that the components may be readily assembled in any desired combination and the entire rack may be inserted within a mine casing with a minimum of time and effort.

In Fig; 2 is shown a minecasing -13 of cylindrical configuration within which is arranged the rack member of Fig. -1, the interior circumferential portion of the mine casing being so proportioned as to receive the end plate 3 and ring-shaped member 1 in' snug slideable relation therewith, the end cover of the casing having been removed for clarity of illustration.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the I present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. the scope of the appended claims'the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is; y

1. In combination with the cylindrical casing of a mine, an instrument rack positioned within said, casing, said rack comprising, a ring shaped member for close fitting slidable engagement with the inner cylindrical surface of said casing, four rods equally spaced and having one end thereof secured to said ring shaped member and extending normal to the plane of said member, a circular end plate secured to the other end of said rods, said member and plate being configured for close fitting slidable movement within the casing, a. first plate secured to a diametrically disposed pair of said rods and, dividing the volume between the end plate and ring shaped mem--' her into equal portionS; a plurality of batteries a plurality of electrical components of smaller size than said iiatent ed Aug. 12., 1 960 It is therefore to be understood that within other one of said rods and said first plate whereby a rack is formed which is adapted to retain said batteries on one side of said first plate and said smaller electrical components on the other side thereof, said batteries being secured to said first plate and said electrical components being secured to both ofsaid; plates.

I omb n i h a c l d cal mi a in a removably mounted mounting rack positioned within the casing for housing interchangeable box-shaped electrical component subassemblies, said rack comprising a pair of circular end frames configured for close fitting slidable reception in said casing, four rods secured at equally spaced intervals .to said frames a longitudinally extend, ihg pl m m e sec to 2191 od o a diam tr cally i p P ir of said ro s and nd n b s as d end frames, a second plate member secured to another of said rods and to the first named plate member along a longitudinal medial portion thereof, each of said plate members intersecting the longitudinal axis of the rack whereby the rack is divided into at least two longitudinally extending compartments, one of said compartments -havinga cross-sectional areaof at least half the cross sectional area of said raclg, a plurality of electrical component assemblies, each of said assemblies being configured to the same outside dimensions, and means for retaining said electrical component assemblies secured to said plate members between said end frames and on respective sides of said plate members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 330,227 Gibbins r Nov; 10, 1885 1,835,036 Gehm .Q Dec. 8, 1931 2,268,619 Reid Jan. 6, 1942 2,411,528 Dodington .I Nov. 26, 1946 2,440,308 Storck Apr. 27, 1948 2,445,582 Melville July 20, 1948 2,486,764 Singer 'Nov. 1, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 559,877 Great Britain Mar. 8, 1944 121,093 Australia Feb. 25, 1946 

